North Shore Lions facts for kids
The North Shore Lions are a football team for young players. They are part of the QBFL (Quebec Bantam Football League). You can find them playing in the West Island area of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team started in 1967. Back then, local teams needed more talented kids to play. Since 1967, the North Shore Lions have won an amazing 38 championships!
Playing Football with the North Shore Lions
The North Shore Football League has teams for different age groups. Kids aged 6 to 17 can join! The youngest players are in the Atom group (6-9 years old). Next are Mosquito players (10-11 years old). Then comes PeeWee (12-13 years old). The Bantam group is for 14-15 year olds. Finally, Midget players are 16-17 years old.
The Atom, Mosquito, and PeeWee teams play their games at local parks. The Bantam Lions play in a special league called the Quebec Bantam Football League (QBFL). They are in the Bill Allan division, which is the top Bantam AAA division. Older players, the Midget Mustangs, play in the Quebec Midget Football League (QMFL). They are in the Bruno Heppell division, which is the Midget AAA division.
How the North Shore Lions Team Started
In the early 1960s, the North Shore Football League was quite new. There were four bantam teams that played against each other. These teams were named after famous Canadian Football League (CFL) teams. They were the Eskimos, Stampeders, Bombers, and Lions. These teams played their home games at Rive Boisée park.
It became hard to find enough players for four bantam teams. So, in 1966, a big decision was made. They decided to combine the four teams into one strong, elite team. This new team would compete against other cities. It would join the Metropolitan Bantam Football League (MBFL) in 1967.
They still needed a name for this new team. So, they decided that the team which won the last North Shore championship that year would lend its name. The Lions team won that final championship! That's how the North Shore Lions team, as we know it today, was created.
A Winning Tradition Begins
In their very first season, the North Shore Lions had a great start. Their first head coach was Ron Hutchison. Under his leadership, they began an incredible winning streak. They won 42 games in a row without a single loss! They also won their first of many provincial championship titles that year.
In 1980, the Metropolitan Bantam Football League (MBFL) changed. It became part of the Quebec Amateur Football Federation (QAFF). This new league is what we now call the Quebec Bantam Football League (QBFL). The original MBFL championship trophy was then retired. Bill Allan, who was the president of the MBFL and helped start the North Shore Football League, gave the trophy to the Lions. They received it for winning the most championships during the time the MBFL existed.
